FRED TACKETT

AFRESH:  What is your name and name of your act?

Fred Tackett

AFRESH:  Where are the artists from and what is their talent in the group?

Little Rock Arkansas but Los Angeles for the last 43 years.  My talent is writing songs, singing and performing on my little stringed instruments

AFRESH:  How did the act get it’s name?

My parents

AFRESH:  What instruments do you play now?

Guitar, mandolin and mandocello

AFRESH:  What does your act consist of?

Two folks: a bassist, Domenic Genova, and a guitarist, Fred Tackett

AFRESH:  How would you describe your music for the public audience if they have never seen you before?

Americana/Roots, Jazzy folk music

AFRESH:  What are your songs about?

Whatever you think they are about, it’s up to the listener.

AFRESH:  How long have you been performing live?

About 50 years give or take a few

AFRESH:  If you had to categorize your music what genre would it best fit?

Americana and Country

AFRESH:  Where did you meet your group and how long have you been together now?

I came to Hollywood to work for Jim Webb, songwriter supreme.  Jimmy got me started in the studio scene.  I met Domenic Genova, the bassist on Silver Strings, doing sessions.  We played in several bands together.  When I joined Little Feat the schedule was so extreme that I literally didn’t talk to Dom for 12 years.  Bill Payne and Paul Barrere did a 9-month tour with Phil Lesh.  While they were gone, I called Domenic like it had been a week since we had played together and asked him to come and jam on some tunes I was writing. That led to “In A Town Like This”, our first CD.  We have been doing this for about 6 or 7 years.

AFRESH:  What are your immediate music career goals?

To make and perform music

AFRESH:  What has been the biggest challenge for you ?

Finding time to play all the music

AFRESH:  You’ve heard of the term starving artist before.  How do you cope with major obstacles?

I have been extremely lucky and have always made a living in the music business.  I meditate to cope.

AFRESH:  Do you feel the economic crunch has hurt the industry, or do you have some other promotional tips to help support your music.

The economic crunch has practically crippled the music business.  I have no other promotional tips to support my music.

AFRESH:  Who is your fan/customer.  Do you have a street team or fan club?

The fact that I am a member of Little Feat puts me in touch with Little Feat fans.

AFRESH:  Music has an impact on both young and old.  Everyone loves a celebrity, so what advice do you have for the youth of today?

Always take your wallet with you on stage

AFRESH:  What does your family think of your performance and do they support you?

They love my performances and always support me.

AFRESH:  What is your stance on how to get the public to support live music and see the shows?  Any ideas?

You have to present it for them to support it and see the shows.

AFRESH:  Thinking back, did your family carry on the same musical interest?

Some of them did

AFRESH:  Do you have your own favorite type of music and is it any different from what you play now?

No

AFRESH:  Do you have other interests or talents you would like to share with us?

I like to garden

AFRESH:  What has been your strong influence to continue performing?

The joy of playing music

AFRESH:  How do you rate your live performance ability Do you feel better performing live or in the studio?

My performance ability is high.  I don’t care if it is live or in the studio.

AFRESH:  Does anyone in particular influence your artistic/musical talent?

Miles Davis

AFRESH:  Who does most of the song writing?

I do.  I sometimes think of titles and then write a story from that and then decide what kind of music to put behind the story.  Sometimes I find a piece of music in the ether and try to think of words that fit the music.  I wrote the song Silver Strings about the magic of songs.  I believe that they are up in the ether and sometimes you can pull one down when you are in a magical place.

AFRESH:  What image do you think your music conveys and why did you choose this type of image for your music?

The music presents a rootsy, folksy, American  palette with the sensibilities of a jazz quartet.  I chose this style because it reflects the musical background I grew up in.  I listened to Miles Davis and Burl Ives at the same time.

AFRESH:  Someone said write what you would want to perform over and over.  With that in mind what song do you love to perform the most.

I don’t love to do any one song more than another.  They are all beautiful gifts and I love them all.

AFRESH:  If you had to change one thing about your music what do you feel would be the best change to benefit the group overall and why?

If I thought I needed to change anything about the act or music I would just change it.  Otherwise the way you hear it is the way it is suppose to be.

AFRESH:  Where would you like to see yourself within the next five years as an artist? What are your long term goals?

In Topanga California singing the blues.  My long term goals are achieved
One Breath At A Time.

AFRESH:  Have you ever had any strange or stalker type fans that you are aware of.  How does it affect the closeness you have with your fans, media, etc. now?

Someone leaves me letters stuck in my fence once a year or so.   My band Little Feat has great fans and we are very close.

AFRESH:  While getting ready to perform have you ever been interrupted by fans who tried to sneak in to the dressing room/rehearsal.  How did you handle this?

No

AFRESH:  Tell us about your most embarrassing moment if you care to share it with us.

I sat on a tack once when I was in the third grade

AFRESH:  What has been the most bizarre thing thrown on the stage with you.  How did you react?

A Yahoo soda bottle landed really close during a Bob Seger concert.  I just ignored it.

AFRESH:  What is your wildest story with the group?

Nothing wilder than the music we play.

AFRESH:  What has been the worst nightmare for the group?

Schedules are the worst nightmare.  There is not enough time

AFRESH:  What are your up to date performance plans? New Releases Tours?

Domenic and I hope to perform on the West Coast this winter to support our new release, Silver Strings.

AFRESH:  If you could perform with anyone in the world, who would it be?

If I was up to it musically , Miles Davis

AFRESH:  What is the furthest show from your home that you have done?

Finland

AFRESH:  How do you feel about file swapping ?

Conflicted

AFRESH:  Have you been involved with any benefit performances.  What was it and how did you become involved?

I have been involved with at least a hundred benefits, I guess.  There is always someone who needs help.  The latest was for our late drummer, Richie Hayward.

AFRESH:  How do you think you would like to be remembered by everyone if something were to happen to you suddenly?

Surprise me

AFRESH:  If you had only five minutes on earth to perform one song that could leave a great impact  on the world today, what song would you perform and why did you choose this particular piece?

We are the World. Because we left our egos at the door

AFRESH:  Thinking back to the very beginning of the act, how do you feel about your performance today and it is much different for you now than when you first started performing?

It gets better every time

AFRESH:  When things seem to go negatively at times, how do you turn things into something positive?

I look on the bright side of life

AFRESH:  What do you attribute to your drive as an artist?

Mortality

AFRESH:  Do you currently have an agent, endorsement, record label, sponsor, etc.

I have a label, RCOLEMUSIC, LLC

AFRESH:  Have you recorded any previous Cds or posted any audio files on the internet.  What kind of recording process did you use.  Who produced your recording.  If you have a current CD released, how long did the process take for you to do from start to finish.

Silver Strings is my current release.  It was produced and engineered by Roger Cole at RCOLEMUSIC, LLC in Los Angeles, Using a combination of analog equipment Such as old tube compressors and an Ameck console to preserve the acoustic flavor of the instruments together with protocols HD. It took about a year on and off due to tour schedules.

AFRESH:  Are there any other behind the scenes secrets tips or additional  information you would like to share with our readers?

Straight ahead and strive for tone

AFRESH:  Do you have a demo or press kit or any other promotional materials that you could send to us for a future review also?

You will get everything we got

AFRESH:  Do you have a website of any kind?

Facebook/fredtackett

RColeMusic.com/FredTackett

AFRESH:  Can you keep us updated with your music now that you will have a permanent link on our magazine so the fans can find out more about you and hopefully catch a live show.

Sure thing

(To learn more about the amazing music of Fred Tackett, please visit his website and check out his newest release today.)